Unintended Feelings
by Boyfries
Summary: Set in Ionia, Zed's plan has been put in motion. A dangerous artifact threatens the delicate balance that the Kinkou order has been trying so hard to keep and only Akali stands in the the way of Zed's plans... (Rated M for future ZedKali smut). One last note, it's in an RP format so there will be constant switching of perspective.
1. Chapter 1

**Sup everyone, My names Matt if you didn't already know and this is my very first series:) Although it is written with my girlfriend so check out her page which is in my profile if you like this kinda stuff. There will be future smut, although I think it will be far far into the future so for those who want that type of stuff, I'll mark the chapter with two x's like xChapter 1x just for you guys. Read and hopefully you enjoy it:D One thing to note is that it is in an RP format so there will be a constant switching of perspectives. Hopefully it doesn't bother you too much.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own league or anything related to it**

 **Edit: My girlfriend really likes cliff hangers so (BLAME HER) I added something that was supposed to be in chapter 2**

 **Chapter 1**

Zed was in the middle of meditation when an eager student came and interrupted him. Snapping his eyes open, Zed glared at him until he shook with fear. To his surprise, the student's voice didn't tremble at all although he shrank back under the glare. "We've done as you've asked sir. She's in the prisons right now." Zed smiled underneath his mask and walked towards the dungeon.

Akali's head was pounding. She didn't know where she was, only that her wrists and ankles were bound and she was slumped against a wall. She found herself in a prison cell with dried blood and grime covering its surfaces. She let out an involuntary groan as she tried to move. Her body ached and she couldn't remember how she came to be in this prison. Hearing light footsteps approach her cell, she instantly hid her discomfort and readied herself to see her captor.

Zed chuckled softly as he walked to Akali's form, the light hitting his back so that she could not make out anything but his outline. He walked up to her and roughly yanked the mask off of her face as he leaned in close, his breath hitting her face. "Akali. How nice of you to join us." He laughed again and turned away, stepping out of the light.

She heard her captor's laugh before she saw him. It was deep and throaty, full of malice. Akali's composure did not waver however. She remained emotionless outwardly even as the man stepped into her view. He was a silhouette against the harsh light and it was not until he leaned in that her eyes were able to adjust and show her the details of his face. His mask was unforgettable. Zed. A sneer threatened to find its way onto her face but she restrained the urge when Zed pulled her face mask down. She stared at him defiantly even as his hot breath hit her cheeks. She did not want to speak with him, so she remained silent. Akali kept her eyes locked with his scrutinizing gaze. She was trained to be silent and silent she would be.

Shen awoke groggy. He had used too much of his energy shielding the citizens as they evacuated them and he shook his head, his vision blurry. "Akali?" he murmured. "Where are you?" He was alone.. "Akali?" He glanced around and ran around the rubble calling for her name. "AKALI?" His call picking up to a yell. He kept running looking for her but stopped to lean up against a building. "I… didn't tell you how I feel…". He murmured to himself.

Zed barked out an order to two servants who brought out a plate of food and a chair with a table. Zed sat himself down and laughed again as he started eating in front of Akali. "Hungry?" He teased her, while plopping a spoonful in his mouth and chewing. "Where is the box?" he asked her. "I need it to teach my disciples. They're not as strong as I'd like them to be…"

Akali watched him quietly, sucking in her stomach to prevent it from grumbling. She didn't offer him a response and maintained her eye contact. A world full of Zeds would be its destruction.

Sighing he asked her "Aren't you going to answer me? After all you know I'll get what i want." He slowly stroked her face and smirked at her before pulling away. Suddenly, he shoved the spoon roughly into her mouth, coldly commanding her to eat.

Akali kept her mouth shut. She was already mentally preparing herself for what difficulties she would have to face. She tensed up at his touch but otherwise she made no move to stop him. She couldn't have anyway. When Zed shoved a spoonful of food into her mouth, her eyes widened but she didn't swallow. Akali knew that the food wasn't poisoned. He _did_ just eat some in front of her. But despite her hunger, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. The man in front of her killed her master. If she could, she would strangle him right then.

Zed's face turned gleeful as she became difficult and he took pleasure in this. He took the spoon out and quickly held her mouth closed and covered her nose so she couldn't breathe and she'd have to swallow. His eyes menacingly stared at her as he took perverse pleasure in strangling her.

Akali couldn't breathe, so she either had to swallow or let him suffocate her slowly. But… she wouldn't be able to kill him if she died. Her stare turned into a glare as he forced her to swallow unwillingly.

He released her and laughed again, patting her cheek patronizingly. "Good girl, Akali". He stroked her hair mockingly like a pet as he fed her spoonful after spoonful.

Akali wish she could send kamas straight through his heart with her eyes as she let Zed feed her. She wasn't ready to do anything terribly rebellious against him yet. She wanted to spit the chewed up mouthful onto his face but she didn't want to risk the consequences so early on either. It was better for her if she ate anyway. If she wanted to survive her imprisonment, she would have to have some form of sustenance.

He chuckled softly as he saw the glare and patted her again on the head. "I'll be back Akali. Be ready to tell me what you know." He turned around to glare at her, sudden lust showing in his eyes. "Otherwise I may not restrain myself next time" he said ominously and walked away.

A shiver ran down her spine at Zed's words, but Akali was glad that he finally left as she leaned heavily against the wall. His presence was unsettling and his superiority complex was stifling. She knew she wasn't going to tell Zed anything but his words left her feeling anxious. She wondered where Shen was. Her head wasn't pounding anymore and she could think rather clearly. She recalled being in a village, helping evacuate citizens with the other members of the triumvirate but she couldn't remember her journey to this cell. One of Zed's students must have gotten lucky and knocked her out. _Damn them and their shadows_ , she thought.

Shen made his way back to the order, to their temple and to his fellow assassins. "Is Kali here?" He asked, his desperation leaking through the demeanor he knew he was supposed to keep. Kennen shook his head, confused by the pet name Kali and Shen grew pale. Kennen asked "What's wrong Shen? This isn't li—". Kennen didn't have the time to finish his sentence as Shen had already sprinted away, heading to the current master of ninjas hoping that they would be able to help him find her. "Please be safe." He muttered to himself. _Please._

Zed laid down on his bed pulling off his mask and shirt. Damn. She's back. What are these… thoughts erupting within me. These..memories? He trailed off brooding about the friends he's lost before shaking his head and shifting back to the current Zed. He laid down in bed, eyes closed when all of a sudden an evil grin appeared on his face. His voice quietly sang to himself "Akalllllliiii.. I know what we're doing tomorrow…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey all it's me again, Just to let you guys know I'll try to post at least once a week, hoping to aim for twice a week. Steph and I have been working on another fanfic so if anyones interested in a love triangle with the setting of Akali is the princess and Zed and Shen are two guards, just send me a private message/review and if enough people are interested I'll let Steph know. Exams are coming up but hopefully I'll still be able to post. Hopefully you enjoy the chapter!**

 **For a bit of context, the box that Zed refers to is the artifact that Zed used in the lore to discover the secrets of the shadows.**

 **Edit: Sorry guys, if you noticed a double part of Zed's that made him OOC, it was because I didn't catch that when I was editing.**

 **Chapter 2**

Akali wasn't aware that she drifted off until she woke up to the sound of footsteps. She didn't like letting her guard down in the prison and her sleep was light but without rest, there was no way her composure would hold for her entire stay, which she assumed would be quite long. Without a way of getting up or stretching, her body was stiff and she had little idea of how she would escape.

Zed walked into the room and stopped directly in front of her. He was deathly quiet and she was slumped against the wall, her eyes closed and she looked asleep but very uncomfortable… Mocking her, he yawned lazily and loudly when he reached up to cup her face and started pinching her cheeks to get her to be more alert. He teleported with his shadow to just outside the room and picked up a glass of water. He switched places again, appearing instantly in front of her and let her drink some cool water out of the glass after he took a gulp to show her it wasn't poisoned. When she was done, he set the glass on the table from yesterday and began undoing her cuffs on her legs.

Akali looked up at Zed a little groggily. His cheek pinching helped her wake up by causing anger to rush into her veins. She sent him a glare before he teleported away and gave him a suspicious look as he brought the glass back. After she was sure it was safe to drink, she gulped its contents down, some of the water dribbling down the sides of her mouth. She couldn't exactly wipe it away so she left it there and watched with surprise as Zed undid her bindings.

Wiping her face with his sleeve, he laughed mockingly at her. Zed said derisively "You're just like a baby" and continued to undo her bindings for her legs. He did however bark for a servant to come in and a heavy pair of manacles were brought out. He quickly attached it to her leg and his so that she couldn't run away. Then he undid the bindings on her arms. Zed outwardly relaxed as she was freed, challenging her wordlessly as a sneer appeared on his face.

Akali's lips twitched into a frown for a second before it disappeared. She didn't dignify herself with an answer and just stayed still as the manacles were put onto her legs. She felt relief that she could finally move as her wrist cuffs came off and stretched painfully to get rid of the knots in her muscles. She didn't jump out at Zed as it would be too predictable if she did, so she settled with eyeing him distrustfully.

Zed barely waited for her to stretch before roughly pulling her along, a painful hold on her wrist while a shadow dashed behind her and Zed's student placed a bag over her head. Zeds hand was firmly on her wrist and he began pulling her, jerking her along. She tried to hit him and he instinctively dodged, but realizing the waste of time it was he kept walking. Her hand hit into his armour and he sneered at her foolish decision. After about ten more minutes of forceful dragging, he smirked and jumped into a small pool of water, pulling her down with him.

Akali didn't sense the shadow in time since her aching muscles were such a distraction. The moment she felt the movement, the bag was already making its way over her eyes and she was left in the dark. She felt Zed's hand clamp down on her wrist and she used her other hand to punch him in the face. She missed, of course. He was dodging every swing she tried to make at him. She hit him once in the chest but that only hurt her. His armour served him well. Reluctantly, she walked with him, dragging her feet so that she could be difficult without earning a punishment. After a while, she was debating whether or not to speak to ask him questions he wouldn't answer. She never had a chance to decide when she felt a violent tug on her arm as she was pulled downwards. Next thing she knew, she hit the water's surface and went under.

Zed broke the surface and shook his head, pulling off the mask while he was at it. He pushed on Akali's head under the water, making sure that she couldn't come up for air. When she started struggling intensely, he let her take a breath before pushing her face down under. He repeated this process two more times and when she came up for air, he roughly shoved her against the sharp rocks and growled "Where's my box?"

Akali had little time to appreciate the fact that she could see again. She realized that Zed had a firm hold on her, making sure she couldn't resurface for oxygen. She couldn't see his face but she could feel his touch and she saw the sharp rocks at the bottom of the body of water they were in. Her lungs were starting to burn and no matter how much she resisted, Zed wasn't letting up. Before she started swallowing the water in a desperate attempt for air, she was pulled up. She took a deep breath immediately and was about to whirl around on Zed when he pushed her under again. He did this again and again, each time only bringing her back up when she thought she was dying. Her brain was not doing well with the lack of oxygen and her lungs ached when she was allowed to come up for air for the final time. She heard his question but refused to answer even as the rocks cut into her skin.

Zed pressed against her even harder, growling again as she didn't answer. Glaring at her, he sent waves of irritation and killing intent, enough that would make an ordinary assassin quail with terror… But. None of that showed from her. She just stared at him defiantly and he held back a sigh of irritation. He said his voice soft and menacing "why the fuck are you so stubborn". Pulling out his blades, he quickly cut her clothes to pieces as she was still recovering so that she was fully naked. He turned away but kept her in his vision as he muttered "go take a bath. You fucking stink.". He walked away, turning to smile at her with an unnatural kindness. "If this is how this is gonna be.. You better be prepared for _everything_ ". His voice started out warm but by the end of it, it was low and warped.

Akali stayed quiet as the rocks dug into her harder. When it seemed he had given up, the tiniest surge of triumphance went through her as she resurfaced. To have survived and gotten through that torture session made her heart swell. It had been difficult to endure and now her lungs burned, but she fucking did it! Zed's hatred was rolling off him in waves but Akali just glared at him just as stubbornly. There was plenty of hatred within her for the man in front of her. She winced but gave Zed no reply as he cut her clothes. She was just trying to calm her breathing from his attempts to drown her. As he moved away, her weight shifted on the rocks; the adrenaline gave out on her and her legs turned to jelly. Her body hurt and it took her effort to straighten herself out. When he turned around, she met his gaze and her heart jumped when she heard the kind tone he used. It almost sounded like the man she once knew, but then his voice warped and that man was gone. A small shudder ran down her spine and the moment she could start moving again, she covered her private areas with her arms before she sat down in the water. She stared down at her reflection and washed herself slowly, not looking up at Zed once.

Zed was meditating with his eyes closed, half naked as he took off his armour and shirt because of the water. Despite his ruthlessness, despite everything that he had done, despite all of the people that he had killed… He felt.. strange about torturing _her_. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't eliminate this… feeling… He opened his eyes to glare at Akali, intending to intimidate her once more but when he saw her looking at him, he instinctively shifted his gaze to the side. _What?_ "Are you finished?" Zed asked, his voice feeling strange.

Akali gave herself a mental pep talk before allowing herself to peek at Zed. She stared at him, not expecting him to be half naked. He still had his face mask on but she focused on his scars, specifically on the one caused by her in their younger days. Zed caught her staring and she turned away, her face warming a tad with embarrassment. "Yes," she called out coarsely in reply to his question. Her voice felt weird from the lack of usage.

He nodded and stood up, pulling on the chains. Pulling her forward, he grabbed a towel and threw it at her, toweling himself off as well. His eyes were on the ground, his demeanor cowed by the earlier feelings. Murmuring softly he said "Lemme know when you're done.". He stared down at the water, looking at his reflection with an empty expression. _What is going on?_

Akali moved towards him but kept herself underwater. She wasn't very comfortable with showing off her naked body. But having no choice but to reveal herself, she sucked it up and stood up from the water. Catching the towel Zed gave her, she dried herself off and made sure that he wasn't looking at her before continuing. She changed into the clothes he gave her quickly but she voiced her concern about getting her panties on with the manacles on her ankles. She said it in an emotionless way but the way she stood was obviously a defensive stance.

He glanced at her face, his face emotionless as more and more feelings swirled within him but he shook his head. "I'm not gonna unchain you." he said coldly but he picked up a towel and held it up as a curtain as he walked towards her. He called for another servant asking for a pair of handcuffs. Keeping his face blank, he asked the servant to hand it to her and told Akali "Cuff yourself, hands behind your back."

Her facade faltered as he neared her, going from stoic to slightly hesitant. Akali could feel her face heat up despite the towel that blocked her lower half. If Zed just glanced down once, he'd see her birthday suit, which she'd really rather not show him. It was already uncomfortable enough knowing that his servants and a few students could see her bare chest and butt cheeks. Not wanting to act difficult for pants that she really needed, she obediently moved her hands behind her back as the servant handcuffed her.

The moment she was cuffed, Zed dismissed the servant. He stared at Akalis face, his red eyes narrowing in confusion as a slight warmth appeared in his cheeks. He wanted to punch something. Averting his eyes, he sighed softly and closed them, kneeling on the ground and his hands brushed along the cold, rough rock on the floor. When his hand reached her foot, he slid his fingers along her skin barely touching her and then he touched smooth metal. Getting the key, he unlocked the manacles, preparing a shadow behind her just in case. Impatiently, he held out a hand snapping to hurry Akali as he waited for her panties.

Akali's blush darkened as Zed knelt before her with a hand on her leg and another hand waiting to receive her underwear. She dropped the article of clothing into his hand and tried to calm her heart by taking deep breaths. Their predicament was absolutely ridiculous and she hated the fact she couldn't put clothes on by herself. As she looked down at him, a thought crossed her mind, giving her the idea to knee him in the face and run for it. It was a stupid idea since his servants and students would catch her indefinitely, but just imagining the satisfaction of inflicting some pain back on him pleased her.

His hands trailed down her soft legs and… _What is this? What is wrong with me?_ Moving down slowly along her legs, he lifted up her foot carefully so he could slip her panties on and he did so with the other leg. His rough calloused hands brushed against her legs as he pulled it up to her hips. Keeping his face impassive, he asked her "Do you still need help or can I open my eyes?"

Akali felt her face warm further as Zed trailed his hands down her legs and she had to take a long deep breath to not actually knee him in the face. She got into her underwear with Zed's help and she reluctantly muttered, "Don't open your eyes yet. You still need to help me with my pants." _And don't touch my legs like that_ , she added as an afterthought.

He nodded without expression and held out his hand for her pants again. His face was deathly robotic and Zed was in the process of sorting out his emotions. _It's been a long time since i've felt anything besides anger… So what is this feeling in me? Lust?_

Akali was a little glad that despite his desire for information and his attempts at drowning her painfully, he still had some smidgen of respect for her and decency to keep his eyes closed. Too bad his hands still liked to wander. Handing him the article of clothing, she continued to stare down at him. It almost felt like he was a servant helping her change. Almost. Her handcuffs and aching lungs didn't agree with her.

Zed was mulling his thoughts over as he repeated the same thing as before. His hands trailed up and down her legs, touching her bare skin slowly, grazing against them. Finally he pulled up her pants, pulling them rather quickly and his hands rested on her hips for a tad longer than necessary. Zed angled his face up, his eyes still closed and he waited silently for her to give him the ok.

Akali was not fond of all the contact he was making. Most of it was quite unnecessary. It was too sensual a deed and she really hoped he wasn't getting turned on by it. When her shorts were on and Zed had his hands on her hips, she looked down at him and her blush returned. It was just such an awkward situation. "It's on," she said.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, his eyes bright and a scar that stretched from just below his right eye down his cheek glinted in the dim light. He glanced at the manacles and cuffed her again, standing up and taking a few steps back. _What the fuck just happened to me?_ He took a deep breath and turned around, dragging the manacles back to put on his armour and mask. When that was done he walked to Akali gracefully, almost like a predator and stopped in front of her for just a moment before he walked around her and undid her cuffs. It appeared he had something on his mind as he began to lead Akali back to the prison cell without a word towards her.

Akali looked down at his intense red eyes. It could easily instill fear into hearts but right then they were stunning. Not in the attractive way, but in a way that made her _want_ to keep staring. She kept her eyes on him as he attached the manacles on her and looked away only when he got dressed. If he gave her that decency then he deserved the same. Her gaze automatically went to him when he was done and although he walked to her rather menacingly, she wasn't scared. For some odd reason, she couldn't feel very afraid of him after he was just so vulnerable to her. That fact made her a little antsy but she was otherwise unfazed. It nearly felt like a temporary truce, but Akali knew he'd hurt her again sooner or later. She stayed still as he undid her cuffs and when they were off, she did a quick stretch for her arms.

Zed walked silently as he led him back to her cell. He was.. He was very confused by himself and he was trying to analyze it. They walked about a minute or so before Zed stopped dead in his tracks and Akali bumped into him. Turning around with irritation, he took out his blade and cut a long strip from his shirt and he tied it around Akali's eyes. It was a very dark cloth but he cut another strip and tied it again around her eyes. Gripping her painfully tight, he led her randomly along the complex, going around in a circle at one point and turning chaotically so she would have no idea what the route was. After 20 minutes of aimlessly wandering, he finally went back to the dungeons and shoved her against the wall, roughly binding her.

Akali was surprised by the freedom she was getting. Zed seemed to be lost in his thoughts, giving her an opportunity to take a good look around. She kept her eyes on her surroundings, memorizing every detail she could. She wasn't about to remind him that she could find her way out if he kept this up. Akali saw Zed doing something from the corner of her eye but paid him no attention. Knowing her path out was more important. After seeing him disappear from her peripherals, she was about to turn to see what the hell he was up to when he appeared in front of her and covered her eyes with cloth. To say she was disappointed was an understatement, but she knew he would have had to come to his senses eventually. She pressed her lips into a firm line when Zed gripped her tightly and followed him as he walked. Being led around made the rest of the trip feel like a maze, but it probably had to do more with the fact Zed was just leading her in circles so she didn't know the rest of the way to her cell. She sighed internally and just followed him the best she could with manacles on. They stopped after a while, probably having reached their destination, when she was shoved against the wall. She let out a gasp and a flash of pain crossed her face before it was replaced with irritation. While Zed binded her to the wall, she tried resisting the bindings for the sake of being difficult.

Zed felt… distressed? at seeing her in pain but most of him enjoyed it. The part that was corrupted by the darkness took a perverse pleasure in the look at her face. He shook his head trying to clear his mind of his past self. It was not needed now. It was not needed ever in fact. _Whatever happened today… It will not happen ever._ He tried to focus on his darker part of him and allowed a sadistic smile to appear on his face. Zed turned around and left without saying a word.

When Akali heard the door shut, signalling Zed's departure, she slumped against the wall and sighed heavily. She wondered how she would find a way to escape this place, which ultimately brought her thoughts to Shen. Her heart clenched and she hoped he was alright. She hadn't seen or heard any sign of him in the complex and Zed hadn't mentioned him either. Hopefully, he was spared from being captured. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore how alone she felt.


	3. Chapter 3

**Greetings everyone, apologies for the long period of time without updating. Hopefully I can get a chapter a week or at least a chapter every two weeks if I'm really busy. There is minor forced in here so please don't be too upset. It doesn't get too far thankfully. Try and give it a shot or at least just skim it if you want. As always I hope you enjoy:)**

 **I don't own anything associated with League or anything like that.  
**

 **Warning Assault Scene. Section will be marked, skip ahead to avoid.**

* * *

Shen was in isolation. The elders refused to let other ninjas search for her and furthermore, they would not allow him to search for her. He recalled the conversation, his pleas of desperation to save her and their swift refusal. "EYE OF TWILIGHT YOU FORGET YOURSELF. IS IT REASONABLE FOR US TO SACRIFICE SO MANY MEN, SO MUCH TIME TO FIND ONE PERSON WHO IS ALREADY DEAD?" HIs objections were cut down and he was to be punished. Cleansed. The elders noticed his feelings for her. He, the man who was not to have any feelings. The "guard" outside of his room knocked on the door and put some food in front of him. He was in an entirely empty white room with no windows, the only light was the dim candle on the wall. Shen looked up at the guard and nodded his thanks, keeping his face in check while the guard inclined her head respectfully. In his mind, Shen was thinking of a plan to escape. He had only thoughts centered towards one thing - a single person. Akali.

Zed had gone to meditate on his actions. He sat cross legged on the cold stone floor in complete darkness. Taking a deep breath in, he reflected and stamped out each and every single one of his unwanted emotions. His thoughts wandered briefly and he imagined releasing her but he clenched his teeth tightly, and he forced himself to imagine how he was going to break Akali. Ordinary methods wouldn't suffice… She was too strong to fall to such weak forms of persuasion. Smiling to himself, he thought, All the more agony when she finally does break. I can't wait to see that Akali.

Akali couldn't fall asleep. It wasn't that it wasn't dark enough. No, the blindfold took care of that nicely. She just couldn't sleep standing up. She was pretty sure her cheek had stopped bleeding from the rocks, which was good and all, but she was feeling absolutely exhausted and was not in any comfortable position to just drift off. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't tired enough to pass out either.

Zed awoke bright and early and he was going to pester Akali constantly so she would be irritable and restless. Zed slammed the door to her cell open and he greeted Akali mockingly chipper. "Ah morning Akali. Did you sleep well? I even gave you a blindfold so the light wouldn't bother you.". He walked up towards her and flicked her in the forehead. "C'mon wake up already!". Zed was followed in by three other masked ninjas. "I have some new friends for you Akali. Wake up!". Zed ripped the blindfold off of her face, blinding her with the flickering lamplight of the room.

Akali's eyes involuntarily moved towards the sound of the door opening despite not being able to see. Using her ears, she tracked Zed's movement towards her and her eyes followed. Her body was kept still though and the only indication she gave that she was awake was the twitch of her lips when Zed flicked her. Irritated by his actions and grumpy from the lack of sleep, Akali gave Zed and his guests a death glare as her blindfold was pulled off.

Zed just laughed maliciously and the students stood silently behind him. Xor, only second to Zed was staring at Akali rather intensely. His eyes raked up and down her body and it seemed to fall on her breasts. Zed was however oblivious to his and he said "Well, they'll be taking care of you for today. Tomorrow.. That's when we'll have our fun. Later Akali. Try not to get too worn out.".

Akali was tempted to spit on Zed as he laughed but even though she had been drowned multiple times the previous day, she was dehydrated. Perhaps she should have drunk more water when she had the chance. After looking at Zed with contempt, her eyes gave each of his students a scan. She couldn't see too much with the hood covering half of their faces, but the female of the trio caught her attention first with her long hair extending out of her hood. The brown-haired girl was smiling sadistically at her, no doubt enjoying Akali's wrecked state. Without giving her any acknowledgement, Akali looked at the man beside the brunette. He was a big, tough looking guy that appeared a couple years older than herself. Gaze moving to the final man, Akali was disgusted to note the way his head was angled downwards as if he was ogling her body. It made her want to punch him. When Zed announced the three students would be left alone with her, a spike of distrust went through her. Sure, they were probably newbies at torture compared to Zed, but to have all three of them with her at once… Perhaps she could find a way to decapitate them. She said nothing as Zed left.

Zed left to go conduct a training session for his students, especially for the more promising ones. They were having issues with their control over the shadows but they had plenty of energy to spare. Zed nodded at a student that successfully managed to create and control a shadow. Soon. The moment he gets his hand on the artifact, on the box. The world would bow down before him and his disciples.

The three simultaneously pulled their hoods down, revealing their faces. Xor snapped his fingers and Gomarth, the big brute, went to go get a tray of food and a cup of water from outside and he set it down on the tabletop with a loud clank. Xor smiling at her and raking his eyes on her body again, he punched her in the gut and smiled happily saying "behave.". He unlocked the manacles that held her up but her leg was still chained to the wall. They backed off and Aikiko laughed as she slumped to the floor and mockingly said "Why don't you go eat you dog?".

Akali committed their faces to memory and watched as the big guy took orders from the taller man. It appeared he was the one in charge when Zed wasn't around. She watched as the man returned with food and water to fulfil her needs. She could only hope it wasn't poisoned or drugged. Bringing her eyes back to the boss, Akali gave him a look of disgust as his eyes wandered down again. A blunt hit to the gut wiped the disgust away and she let out a few coughs as the pain registered on her face. The moment the manacles on her arms were off, she dropped to the ground and pressed her knees to her chest as she waited for the pain to fade. Being able to finally sit was a relief though; the soreness in her legs and feet were starting to get to her. Swallowing dry, she looked angrily up at the boss of the trio, taking some pleasure from the fact they all took a step back when the manacles had come off. It was a shame they couldn't take off the chain on her leg too. Akali got up slowly and when the pain in her stomach was gone, she moved over to the chair beside the table and sat down. The food didn't look very appetizing, which she didn't mind, but she was concerned about its safety so she just stared at it.

Xor smiled at the rest of them and said "You guys can leave. Come back when it's time for your shift. Aikiko looked at him with disappointment but he waved her off. "Go.". Xor picked up a chair and sat down across from Akali and he waited for her to start eating. He always kept a shadow up just incase he needed to teleport. Propping an arm up on the table and leaning on it, he stared at Akali, looking at her body lustily.

Akali watched as the girl and the brute left the room, her spirits rising as her chances of escape increased with every step they took. When the remaining student sat in front of her, she continued to not touch her food and looked at him. "Can't you find something else to stare at?" she muttered with distaste.

Xor smiled pleasantly, teleporting behind Akali and pushing her down on the table with force. He kept his tone pleasant and said "Sorry. I don't have to listen to a whore like you." He pulled on her hair and slammed her head back against the table. "Eat.". he hissed and teleported away from her just as she lashed out at him.

Akali's eyes widened as the man disappeared from her view. Next thing she knew, her cheek was flat against the tabletop and she glared at the man in her peripherals. Who was he to call her a whore? Fucking perv. When he did it again, she pushed against his hand to right herself up and whipped her arm out behind herself to grab him. Touching and seeing nothing but the air he left behind, Akali turned back around and stared at him. "How do I know it's not poisoned," she said, clearing her throat once to make her voice less hoarse. Man, she really wanted that water but…

He scoffed. "Why wouldn't I just kill you right now?". Smiling at her he stood up, kicked the chair out of the way and dragged the table away from her. He stood in front of her while she stood up and then he lunged at her, switching places with a shadow mid lunge and he appeared behind her again, an arm around her neck pressing into her carotid artery and he pressed down on it tightly, strangling her.

Instantly on alert, Akali shot up from her chair, sending it backwards, and ducked as he lunged at her, preparing to sweep his legs out from underneath him. At his disappearance, she straightened in confusion and hissed when an arm wrapped firmly around her neck. Turning her head to the side to prevent him from crushing her windpipe, she jumped up and dug her heels into the man's shins, placing her whole weight on him. Her shoes slid down slowly but painfully hard as they lost their grip.

Xor gritted his teeth and pushed her to the floor, kicking her in the back hard. She didn't have any time to react and he pulled out his blades, sending a shadow behind her and slashing out with his clone. It stabbed her cleanly in her leg and Xor dashed towards her jumping up and preparing to shift if she attacked him.

Akali let out a grunt when he pushed her down and kicked her. She was about to jump back onto her feet when she saw the shadow clone just in time for it to stab her. A restrained cry slipped out of her mouth and she growled as she tumbled under the man, righting herself up lightning quick behind him and landing a punch between his shoulder blades. Her leg was gushing blood but the adrenaline kept her going.

Xor let out an a sound of surprise but getting his feet underneath him, he launched himself up like a spring and landed a really bad uppercut on Akali. She went down from the intensity of the hit and Xor spat on her, kicking her when she was down. "Filthy whore". he spat out. Picking her up, he lifted her and chained her back on the wall, trailing his hands along her body. Shaking his head, he spat on her face contemptuously and left to go grab the tray and cup of water. He splashed the cup on her face and yelled at her to wake up.

Akali's small victory was short lived when her world turned black. When her vision returned, her jaw hurt like hell, her face was all wet, and everything was blurry. Getting onto her feet, everything cleared and she saw the tall man from before. Moving her arms, she was disheartened to find the manacles back on. Realizing she must have lost that fight from before, she looked at him distrustfully. Since the adrenaline wore off, her leg was burning from the stab wound too.

Xor grabbed a spoonful of the mushy porridge that they served and he shoved it in Akalis mouth, clamping it shut and again, holding her nose. His smile was pleasant at first but then it turned genuinely happy as she squirmed and struggled. She was entirely powerless against him. He loved that. He fed her the entire bowl and finally when she swallowed the last of it, his hands trailed down her neck and he murmured "Despite everything you really are quite pretty aren't you whore?"

Akali was going to say something but the man stuffed a spoonful of the food into her mouth. It was cold and bland and, not to mention, she didn't know if it was safe to eat. Not having much of a choice when the man clamped her mouth and nose, she swallowed reluctantly. Judging by his appearance, he was pleased by the forced obedience but Akali kept eating anyway. At his comment, she brought her knee up and hit him right in the balls, ignoring the pain in her other leg.

 **XxWarning Assault Scene xX**

Xor wasn't expecting her to hit him and he barely had time to react, his hands going to cover his face but she kneed him right in the balls and he bent over groaning and clutching his stomach. Before she could land another blow, he managed to jump back, landing on his ass a few feet away from Akai. Getting up, he leaned over and snarled at Akali. "You'll regret that.". After waiting a few minutes he recovered and pulled out a few throwing knives. He began lazily throwing it at her, delighting at the frantic movements Akali had to make to avoid it. Then he walked up towards her and punched her right in the earlier wound, digging around in it with his fingers. He made sure to stay on her right side, so that she couldn't land another kick. "Fucking bitch. I'll show you who's in charge.". Pulling his fingers out of her wound, he grabbed a knife and started slashing at Akalis clothes exposing her. Unlike Zed, he kept his gaze locked on her body and anyone could tell that he was getting quite aroused by the sight.

Akali was disappointed that she couldn't land another hit on him, but took pleasure in the sight of him on the ground, hunched over in pain. When it seemed he'd recovered, she was surprised by the throwing knives he produced, dodging each one as well as she could with her restraints on. She didn't like how she was just entertainment to him and she imagined wringing his neck to calm herself down. As he walked closer to her, she kept her eyes on him, ready to kick him if he got too close. But then he stayed to the side so that she couldn't kick him easily, especially with the wound in her leg. An agonizing scream filled the room when the man punched the wound and dug his fingers inside. Her chest was heaving and she shifted all her weight onto her other leg when he backed off. Breathing hard from the lingering pain, she continued to stare angrily at him as he cut her clothes off and didn't fail to notice the growing bulge in his pants.

Xor laughed sadistically as trails of blood and thin cuts appeared on her skin. He hissed at her "Hey. Hit me again and I swear I'll break both your legs.". He punched her good leg just in case and held it down, while with his free hand, he cut away her upper undergarments and exposed her pale breasts. Letting out a low whistle he said "Don't worry whore. I'm sure you'll feel good too.". Leaning forward, he put his mouth on one of her breasts and started biting and sucking on it forcefully, leaving marks on her skin. He delighted in her struggles, dropping the knife and holding her other leg down. This position was perfect and he bit on her harder to make it more painful for her.

Akali looked down to see marks where the blades had gotten too close to her skin and anger bubbled from deeper within her. She met the man's gaze as he threatened her and grunted when he punched her, saying nothing. Cutting the rest of her clothes off made her ball her hands into fists and she seriously wished she could bash the pervert's face in, but she didn't think he'd go back on his word about breaking her legs. As much as it hurt her to think it, it seemed Zed was a better guy than the man in front of her… And Zed was a pretty shitty guy. Akali's arms pulled at her restraints angrily as the man sucked on her breasts and kept shifting her torso around to make it more difficult for him. "Don't fucking touch me," she hissed, gasping when he bit down on her.

Xor stopped sucking to look at her and his eyes glinted with arousal, "I love it when girls struggle. It's all the more fun to break them.". He took his hand off her bad leg and started fondling her breast, while sucking and biting at her other nipple. She let out another gasp when he bit down and he let out a pleasurable moan.

Pure disgust was on her face while she hid her fear. Akali was not fond of the possibility that the man can take it even further than what he was doing already. "No," she protested, gasping again when he bit down on her other breast and pulling even harder against the restraints despite knowing it was futile. Not wanting to see herself being assaulted, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to control the emotions that overwhelmed her.

Zed had finished overseeing the lesson when he started walking back to Akali's cell, planning to intimidate her some more and try to get the location of the box. Seeing how slowly his disciples were progressing, it reconfirmed his need for the box. I have to break you Akali. Whatever means necessary. He smiled in grim pleasure as he imagined the thought but when he walked into the room, his face fell immediately as he saw Xor's mouth on Akali and his eyes flicked up to Akali's face. He immediately registered the fear amongst the disgust on her face. His face contorted with anger and he yelled, "XOR, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" Xor shifted his mouth in surprise and the moment he glanced at Zed, he sent a shadow past Zed, trying to run past him. Zed sent a shadow with him and started walking towards Xor. Xor's shadow switched and Zed's shadow stabbed him in the gut. He growled, knowing that it wouldn't kill him but when he saw Akali's face, he stopped and he took off his shirt and placed it on top of her, draping it on her shoulders. His face emotionless, he analyzed her wounds and said gruffly, "Don't you dare attack me.". Unchaining the manacles that bound her wrist, he caught her before she fell to the floor and averted his eyes. "Put this on," he commanded and he walked out of her distance, turning away. A torrent of feelings welled up within him as he recalled Akali's look of anguish. I… I don't know what to think anymore.

Xor was enjoying himself, loving the feel of the whore that was chained. She might have been an assassin but damn was she fine. Then he heard a terrifying voice, one that he could barely recognize because it was so warped by anger and pure fury. Xor felt this intense fear that hit his very core as he saw Zed's face, waves of killing intent rolling off of him. He felt panicked. Trapped. Backing away from Akali, Xor sent a shadow past Zed as Zed charged him. Terrified he swapped places with his shadow, running forward when he felt a blade pierce his back. He yelled in agony but pressed on. The blade didn't cut too deep and he stumbled along the hallways, frantically checking behind him to see if Zed was chasing him. He needed to find Aikiko. She could help him.

 **Assault Scene fin**

Akali flinched at the voice that boomed throughout the room, relief filling her soon after at the sound of the spoken words. Xor… That's his name, she thought, adding it to the list of people she needed to kill excruciatingly slowly. Looking at Zed, she saw with surprise that he was as infuriated as he sounded. She wondered why. After Xor made his escape, Akali looked down at her breasts, now bruised and pulsing with the pain of getting the rough treatment. An incomplete handprint made with her blood was on her left breast. On top of it all, thin trails of blood ran down her torso and her gaze shifted lower to see a steady stream of blood still leaking from her stab wound, pooling at her feet. Must've been because Xor stuck his fucking fingers in them earlier. A pair of booted feet showed up in her line of sight and she looked up tiredly at Zed. "You're not going to do that to me too, are you?" she asked as a joke, worry was laced in her words though and her vision was turning blurry. Akali looked at him gratefully when he draped a shirt on her and the moment the manacles came off her, she fell forward. Thankfully, Zed caught her and she grabbed onto him for support, blushing slightly when all she felt was his shirtless torso. Getting back onto her unsteady feet, she slipped the shirt on before sitting down on spot away from the blood pool. "Thank you," she said quietly, passing out from exhaustion right after.

Zed looked at her lying down on the ground and he leaned forward cautiously taking her pulse. It was indeed slow and that meant she shouldn't have been awake but as a precaution, he handcuffed himself to Akali. Unlocking the chain to her leg, he carried her through the complex to his room, cuffing her to the bed. Working in total darkness, he began cutting at her pant leg, disinfecting the wounds and stitching it back together. He also did so for any wounds on her back, disinfecting any and all cuts from yesterday. Zed was totally impassive while he did this, rage and confusion bubbling within him. Why did he get so angry when he saw Xor doing that? That was a valid torture technique.. One that he had planned to resort to if she remained so stubborn. He let out a soft sigh and flipped her back on her back, calling for a servant to give him another chain. With that, he immobilized Akali's bad leg so she couldn't move it and then he sat at a chair and waited for her to wake.

Akali woke up twelve hours later, feeling much better than when she had first fallen asleep. But when she opened her eyes, she was greeted by nothing but darkness. Confused and disoriented, she tried to push herself up into a sitting position but it seemed one arm was chained to something. Using the other arm, she pushed herself up and winced at the pain in her leg. She moved it a little and heard the jangle of a chain as the pain only increased, meaning that she shouldn't stress it anytime soon. The jangle meant her leg was also chained to what was probably a bed, since she was sitting on something soft and comfortable after all. Sighing, she laid back down on her back and waited for something to happen. She couldn't hope to escape in one piece until her leg was healed.

Zed let out a soft yawn when Akali awoke, having slept on the chair. Realizing what happened with Xor, he felt that he should be the only one to handle matters dealing with Akali. Speaking softly he asked "how are you feeling?" and stood up without a sound, walking towards the door. He quickly lit the torch and put it in the scone, the flickering light being blocked out by Zed's figure.

Akali, upon hearing a yawn, opened her eyes and sat up quickly. When she heard Zed's voice, she relaxed, shoulders slumping visibly from their prior tensed state. "I'm okay," she replied as she rubbed her eye. A torch was lit from the other side of the room, blocked by Zed's body so that she only saw his silhouette. The dim light was enough for her to distinguish that the room she was in was not just any prison or servant's room. Heck, it wasn't a student's room either. "Is this.. your room?" she asked for confirmation. Confused at why he would have brought her to his room of all places, a list of reasons ran through her head before panic struck her. He hadn't done anything to her while she was asleep, did he? She frantically checked herself over, peeking in the shirt he had given her to check for new bruises before looking at her legs and bed for any indication at all that he had assaulted her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary sans the fact she was missing a pant leg and her wound was patched up, which was nice.

Zed nodded and walked to the table beside his bed and lit the lamp so that the room was lit reasonably well. He had no need of it usually so seeing his room with light felt odd. Looking at her apathetically, he could only recall that look of terror, that look of utter fear on her face and he looked away. He couldn't torture her with that in his mind. Not today at least. Zed walked out of the room without a word and called for a servant to get meals for the two of them.

When Zed left the room, Akali hugged her arms to her chest in an act of vulnerability. The sexual assault had impacted her a lot more than the torture session with Zed. It was shocking how much her reactions differed and if Zed was smart, which he most definitely was, he would use that against her. That was what she feared. Perhaps it was the fact that despite the mental strain caused by Zed's drowning torture technique, she knew he wouldn't let her die until he got what he wanted. And when it came to Xor and his sexual needs, she knew he would go as far as he wanted to fulfil his sick fantasies. She kept thinking to herself, reasoning out why she was affected the way she was. Maybe it was the intimacy of sexual acts and how personal they were that got to her mentally? Even when she had seduction missions to get close enough to kill, she would always finish her job before things escalated beyond her control. Steeling herself, she thought to herself like a mantra that she would not let those actions bother her again. She had to obliterate that weakness, destroy it before anyone could take advantage of it. Closing her eyes, she forced the fear she had felt to fade to nothing. When she opened her eyes again, she was emotionless. Or, at least, that's what she told herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey all, Nice to see you guys still sticking it out with me, as usual I don't own anything associated with league or anything with Riot. Just a little not, I may or may not be posting another zed, akali and shen fanfic soon, depending on if I finish editing it. I also have mid terms coming up so updates may or may not suffer for the next little bit but I'll try to update once a week if anything once every two weeks. Hope you guys enjoy it :)**

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Zed had returned with two meals and he set one at the edge of the bed. His eyes were listless as he uncuffed her and before eating, he quickly ran his hand along her wound, checking his handiwork. There wasn't a sign of infection which was good but he reached for the medical kit kept underneath his bed and took it out, muttering a quick apology while he disinfected her wound and put a bandage on it. He wasn't even trying to defend himself from Akali and if she chose to, she could have gotten a very good hit in. Ever since he saved her, he didn't feel anything. Not anger, not irritation or jealousy. Not even lust. Just… empty.

Aikiko had left to go do her shift. She sighed, annoyed that she couldn't spend more time with Xor. He was so insistent about her leaving him, she felt worried. Shaking her head, she pushed thoughts of jealousy out her mind and went to go do her shift. On the way, she spotted a trail of blood and knelt down, touching it. It was relatively fresh. Curious, she pulled out two daggers from her belt and followed it. At the end of the trail was Xor, pale, slumped over and a wound on his back. Running to her, she knelt down and checked his pulse. He was still alive, praise the shadows. Aikiko would take care of him, and whoever did this. They would pay.

Akali sat a little taller when Zed walked back in, looking at the platters he brought in with interest. When he uncuffed her, she observed a red mark on her wrists where the cuffs must have dug into her skin the previous day. Stretching her arms out in front of her, she looked at Zed cautiously as he reached out to touch her wound and grabbed his wrist before he could touch it. "What are you doing?" she asked. Just because he had saved her from Xor, that did not mean she trusted him. Without sparing her a glance, he took out a first aid kit from under his bed, making Akali raise her brows before letting go of him. _Was he the one who stitched my wound?_ , she thought as she glanced at the contents of the container, conflicting emotions arising. She was taken aback by Zed's apology, not expecting him to ever apologize for anything he did nowadays. As he poured the alcohol on her, she hissed in pain and gripped the bedsheet, relaxing after he put the bandage on. "Thanks," she muttered, not making a move to hit him. It wouldn't accomplish anything anyway. When he backed away, she took the platter with her meal on it and balanced it on her good leg before inspecting it for anything suspicious.

Zed tried to ignore what she said but just the sound of her voice was able to pierce through the numb state that he had achieved. He ate in silence, his thoughts and feelings in turmoil and he wouldn't look at Akali. He took a deep breath inwards and dared to gaze upon her face. Zeds lips twitched and he asked teasingly "Is the food not to your liking?"

Akali continued to poke and prod at her food with a fork despite her stomach grumbling quietly in hunger. She periodically looked up at Zed, curious why his nasty demeanor hadn't showed up yet. Seeing him eat in silence, lost in his thoughts again, made him seem too mundane. It reminded her of when he was still in the Kinkou. This thought sparked anger within her. Thinking of the past would make her feel more secure around him, which was dangerous, to say the least. In the midst of her thoughts, she had arranged the food on her plate into an angry-looking face. Startled by Zed's voice, she moved her gaze onto him and met his red eyes. "I wouldn't know. I haven't tried it yet," she replied, rearranging her food so that there wasn't a face anymore.

Zed got up and sat on the bed near Akali's injured leg. Guessing that it was because of fear of getting poisoned, Zed grabbed a spoonful and plopped it into his mouth, chewing it and swallowing ostensibly. He then grabbed her cup and took a large gulp of water. He set the cup back on her tray and busied himself with checking the bandage again, and he asked her "I need to check on your back as well.". He got up and left to go sit on his desk, his back to her and busied himself with overseeing the maintenance of the facility.

Akali watched Zed like a hawk as he neared her and raised a brow when he demonstrated that her food and water were indeed not poisoned. She didn't think they were but she'd rather be safe than sorry. It wasn't that she was afraid of being killed, but a high enough dosage could be given that she'd be have severe internal pain. The moment he set the cup back down, she took it and downed the rest of its contents before moving onto the food as Zed checked on her leg. Akali gave him a small nod before continuing to shove food into her mouth. When she was done, she set the tray aside and asked for the sake of having something to do, "Why am I in your room?"

Zed turned around when she spoke, only looking to see that she ate and drank everything. Ignoring her question, he got up and left her room, returning a few moments later with a glass and a rather large pitcher. Pouring the water into the cup in front of her, he drank another gulp and refilled the cup, giving it to her. He set the pitcher aside and sat down beside her, looking off to the side.

Akali sighed when he ignored her and left the room. She crossed her arms and shifted so she could lean her back on the headboard since the cuts weren't bothering her all that much. Closing her eyes, she thought of different ways to kill Xor. Imagining the deaths of those who wronged her wasn't a healthy habit but it sure gave her a mood boost when she needed one. While thinking of Xor, Zed's face popped up and she used him instead. He was the one who betrayed them all, killing the Kinkou's master and leaving her - no, everyone - behind. When she heard faint footsteps, she opened her eyes and saw Zed pour water into her glass, testing the water, and refilling the cup. Taking the glass, Akali took sips from it as she stared at him. "Not very talkative today, huh," she remarked. He hadn't said one awful thing to her yet. Was it because of yesterday?

Zed looked at her as she spoke to him and he didn't reply for a while. After a minute of silence, he broke the silence, saying "Get on your side.". He got the kit again and opened it, grabbing some more alcohol and bandages. The cuts weren't too bad, it's just the rocks weren't the cleanest and he didn't want a possibility of her getting sick.

Akali resisted rolling her eyes and got on her stomach instead, crossing her arms in front of her and laying her cheek on top of it. She lifted her shirt up but not enough to expose her breasts. The cuts that she got from Xor's blades were irritated as they rubbed up against the bed but she ignored them.

Zed lifted Akali's shirt up more, his fingers prodding against the small cuts that hit her back. There was one cut that he didn't get to earlier because he didn't want to strip Akali while she was sleeping. He pulled the back of her shirt up so that the hem of the shirt was at her neck. There was some small rocks embedded inside of her cut and with practiced and steady hands, he used a pair of tweezers to remove them. Getting more alcohol, he wiped the wound, cleaning it and then bandaged it after. The cut was too small to require stitching which was good. Zed was silent as he scanned her body, and he felt a warmth in his cheeks again. Shaking the feeling off, he said "How are the cuts on your front? I haven't taken a look at them.".

Akali shot Zed a look when he pushed her shirt up further but said nothing as nothing private was exposed. Angling her head so that she could Zed, she watched him as he worked on her wounds. His brows were furrowed in concentration and he was careful not to let his tools bother her. She didn't know why that mattered in his eyes, but she was appreciative of it nonetheless. Wincing when the alcohol was applied, she was relieved when he was done. His gentleness was too strange. She wasn't even aware that he _could_ be gentle. At his question, she said curtly, "They're alright."

Zed raised an eyebrow at her attitude and said "I need to disinfect it.". He pulled her shirt down and asked her brusquely "What's wrong with that?". He stared at her apathetically while he waited for her answer.

Akali worried her lips before relenting and getting onto her back, not giving him an answer. She didn't want Zed to check the cuts because some of them were very close to her breasts, which she didn't want to show him. _But_ , she had reasoned, _I already told myself I won't be bothered by this anymore_. Lifting her shirt up, she stopped just shy of her mounds and looked at Zed to see if he was satisfied.

The moment Akali turned on her back, he lifted an eyebrow and immediately shut his eyes when she lifted her shirt. The thought of opening his eyes just brought back the memory of Xor and he raised his lip slightly in anger. Remembering himself, he relaxed his face and reached for his kit, soaking a cloth with alcohol. He placed his fingers lightly against Akali's skin, treating her unnaturally gently as he felt his way around. Everytime he felt a cut, he would work quickly, wiping it down with the alcohol after prodding it to get a general impression of it. After it was disinfected, he would bandage it with a fresh cloth. He did this for every single cut, only stopping when his hand accidentally brushed against her breast. He flinched when that happened and pulled away momentarily to search for anymore cuts, but luckily he didn't find anymore. Letting out a deep breath, he pulled away and began packing away his medication kit, throwing it underneath the bed. Promptly after he was finished, he turned around and left the room without making another sound.

To her surprise, his eyes were closed and he appeared almost angry before it was wiped away. As he worked, he never opened his eyes once, instead using his hands to feel for the cuts Xor inflicted on her. Akali wasn't sure what to make of this predicament. She was confused about whether he was doing it to preserve her modesty or just to have an excuse to touch her. That thought made her tense up. He was almost done when his hand skimmed across her boob, making her inhale sharply. When he flinched away, she relaxed a little. _So he didn't mean to do that_ , she thought, pulling her shirt down as he packed his first aid kit away. He left her alone in his room after and Akali was left to figure him out in silence. She wondered what caused his sudden shift in personality. It couldn't have been because of what he saw with Xor, right? Without anyone to provide her answers, she delved into her thoughts, waiting for her next torture session.

Zed created a shadow inside of his room after he locked it. He would be able to keep tabs on Akali and more importantly, if Xor came back or another student tried to pull that shit again, he would know about it. Zed prowled along the corridor, his senses tingling as he hunted for Xor, intending to find his side of the story.

Akali had her eyes closed for a long time as she thought. When she cracked an eyelid open, she saw a faint outline at the door of Zed - no doubt one of his shadows. Pretending like it was actually him, she asked in a low voice, "Why did you do it?" With that, she laid down and pulled a blanket over herself, falling back asleep.

After an hour or so of hunting, he finally found Aikiko, looking tired and her fear was palpable in the air. Zed cocked his head, his presence intimidating her especially since he had donned his usual garb, complete with armour and unsheathed blades on his arm. She fell to the floor, prostrating herself before him. "I'm so sorry Master. The prisoner! She escaped! Xor is badly injured and I've been taking care of him.". Zed stared at her deathly quiet, and then walked past her, opening the door with a loud bang. Xor was indeed recovering but he had grabbed a weapon and was baring it against Zed. Staring at him, Zed concentrated his energy and he instantly appeared behind Xor, stabbing him in the arm so he dropped his weapon. Xor also shadow switched a moment later and appeared behind Zed but Zed anticipated this and Zed created another shadow previously which tackled Xor onto the floor. Walking up to him, Zed placed a boot on his hand, crushing it and he said deathly quiet. "You're gonna answer my questions, got it?"

Some time later, she woke up to an empty stomach. Pushing herself up and leaning her back against the headrest, Akali glanced at the still empty tray before finishing up the water in her glass. Her gaze slid over to the shadow at the door and she wondered how long she slept. It felt like a long time but she found it unusual how Zed hadn't been back yet and how she was still in his room. She was still confused about why he kept her there. It was obvious he had no intention of using her sexually, although it could just be hidden intent. Nevertheless, he didn't make a move on her and even if he had brought her to his room to treat her wounds, he could have just brought her to the infirmary. The only other fathomable reason as to why he would keep her in his room was so he could keep an eye on her. That would mean his students couldn't check up on her or have their "fun" with her either… but did that mean he was protecting her from them? From Xor?

Zed had finished his interrogation after a lot of questions and a half crazed girl, trying to desperately free Xor. He had to spend a lot of time dealing with her and the two were going to be appropriately punished. He had gotten "his" side of the story and it had made him angry. Just the thought of it made him sick to his stomach. Snarling at Xor, he almost broke his hand extracting a promise that he wouldn't dare do that to Akali again. Aikiko was confused at that but she made no sound. Xor whimpered an oath and Zed uttered a threat. "Do that to her again and I swear, it doesn't matter how promising you are. I'll snap your neck myself.". With that, he shadow switched places so he was in his room and he started disarming himself.

Shen was on the move, having escaped from the Kinkou order. He had forsaken quite a lot in order to go on this suicidal rescue mission of his. He was kept in a prison cell for only formalities, no one thought that the eye of twilight would be so emotionally unbalanced that he would turn on the elders themselves. Shen let out a long breath of frustration. He couldn't just not act when _she_ was trapped. He had to do something. Starting back from the village she was taken, Shen had kept a close watch upon the village while investigating for anything of significance. Sadly he had no luck with the matter but he was patient. He kept his cool about it and just stayed in the area, waiting and watching for a slip up.

Akali cracked an eye open when she heard movement in the room. Seeing Zed in his armour sent her heart racing, reminding her of every confrontation they had with Shen by her side. Except Shen wasn't here with her. Her idea of mundane Zed was wiped away as she saw him taking his blades off and, somehow, she had trouble connecting that the man who had taken care of her wounds with that gentle touch was also the man before her - armed to the teeth and exuding a deadly aura.

In an awful mood, he threw his bladed bracers to the side with a sharp clang and removed his armour with swift movements. All of his movements were hasty and uncontrolled, the armour hitting the mantle with a loud bang and his mask was thrown with an unceremonious clatter as it hit the table. His lip was curled in anger as he got dressed and he ignored the fact that Akali was still in the room. He left promptly when he was done, returning a few moments later with a pitcher of water and some trays of food and he laid it down roughly on the bed for her to eat, spooning his own food into his mouth. Not looking at her, he asked "What's your side of the story?'

Akali watched Zed with a puzzled expression, looking away when he stripped down further. His movements were brash and sloppy as his armour and weapons were taken off and just thrown aside. She would have thought he'd be more organized and quiet but it might have had something to do with that deadly aura. When he came back into the room, she took the tray and ate quietly, sparing him a look when he asked his question. "The story?" she asked. "Do you mean what happened with Xor?"

Zed nodded, his gaze averted on the ground and despite the tray of food that he got for himself, he was not eating.

Akali grimaced and averted her gaze, letting the silence ring out between them for a moment. She didn't really want to talk about it because it just made the unpleasant memories resurface, but she didn't want him to view that situation as her weakness. She spoke as if she didn't care, "He sent the brute and the girl away. I wouldn't eat so he started a fight. He stabbed me in the leg and knocked me out. Then He chained me and force fed me. I kicked him in the balls." She had felt like that was important to mention. "He threw throwing knives at me. He dug his fingers into my wound. He cut my clothes off. He fond-" She choked on the word before clearing her throat. "Fondled my breasts and had his fun with them." To finish it off, she said dryly, "It was such a wonderful time."

Zed's lips twitched as he heard her say he kicked him in the balls and he had the strangest urge to laugh. At her choke in words, he looked up at her face, his face emotionless and he said softly "You don't have to worry about that again. I won't let it happen a second time.".

Akali looked up at him in surprise and faint suspicion. It didn't sit well with her that Zed was being so compassionate; it made her believe that he was lulling her into a false sense of security. He did sound genuine but Akali was compelled not to trust him. "Thank you," she murmured anyways, returning to her food afterwards.

Zed nodded once and continued eating his food. Speaking softly he asked "I don't suppose you'd just give me what I want". He made her an offer. "If you do, I'll let you go and you can go back to the order. Back to _Shen."._ His face turned into one of derision at the mention of Shen and he looked at Akali expectantly but without too much hope.

Akali didn't bother looking at Zed while he spoke. There was no way she would give him the location of the box. It would lead to the world's destruction. She shifted her gaze over to him when he mentioned Shen, but as much as she wanted to see him again, she wouldn't jeopardize his safety for it. "Shen would want me to keep my mouth shut," she replied, thinking over the incredulity of his words. "How big of a fool do you make me out to be anyways? I'm not going to give you the box's location for my own selfish needs."

Zeds lips curled upwards slightly as she gave him the expected answer. "I don't think you're a fool. I just wanted to give you a chance.". He sighed with disappointment and said softly "I can't treat you like this forever.".

Akali caught the words he said under his breath and was confused by them. "You could always let me go," she suggested.

Zed got up and left without a word resisting the compulsion to say anything. Two main feelings wormed their way in his chest, the desire for her to leave and the pain of seeing her go.

Akali watched him leave, still puzzled by what he had said. She was noticing some really odd behaviour from him and wasn't sure if that was just who he was now or if it had to do with her. The latter was a strange possibility but a possibility nonetheless. Perhaps she should test out her theories.


End file.
